Automatic regulator for paper-feeding mechanisms



(N0 Modgl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Q No. 415,877. Patented Nov. 26, 1889p i i I III III WITNESSES. /MENTOH! Z565 JAMES 14. MONT/70a a,

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(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2; J. A. MONT ROSS.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR PAPER FEEDING MECHANISM.

N0. 415.877. Patented NOV. 26, 1889.

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p UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. MONT ROSS, OF OASTLETON, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-IIALFTO CALVIN O; VOOLXVORTII, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK.

AUTOMATIC REGULATOR FOR PAPER-FEEDING MECHANISMS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,877, dated November 26, 1889.

Application filed June 29, 1889. Serial No. 316,011. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern; arm E a pawl F is loosely pivoted thereto, so Be it known that I, JAMES A. MONT ROSS, as to engage in the teeth of the ratchet-wheel of Castleton, in the county of Rensselaer and O when the guard for preventing an engage- State of New York, have invented a new and ment of said pawl with the teeth of the ratchuseful Automatic Regulator for Paper-Feedet-wheel is moved into position to permit such ing Mechanisms, of which the following is a engagement. The pawl F is pivoted to the specification. arm E by a pin G, to which one end of a con- My invention relates to a mechanism for necting-rod H is attached, the opposite end automatically regulating the heightof a pile of said rod being connected to a wrist-pin of 60 of blanks or sheets of paper or other material a crank I, which is secured to a constantlyto a level required for the proper operation revolving shaft J, which is preferably driven of the feeding mechanism; and it consists of by the machine to which the feeding mechcombining with a ratchet-wheel and vibratile anism is applied. The crank I will impart a arm provided with a pawl fitted to engage vibratory motion to the arm E, as indicated 65 IS with the teeth of said wheel, an electricallyby dotted lines in Fig. 1, and said arm will actuated guard which will prevent said pawl impart an intermittent step-by-st-ep rotative from engaging with said wheel when the pile mot-ion to the shaft A whenever the pawl F of blanks has attained its proper level. is permitted to engage with the teeth of the The object of my invention is to provide a ratchet-wheel O. 7o simple and effective mechanism for prevent- The bevel-gears D mesh into corresponding a pile of blanks from attaining a height ing bevel-gears K, which are secured to the at which a feeding mechanism will not perfeed-screws L, which are journaled in boxes form its work in an efficient manner, and M and have their upper end steadiedin openwhich, when the level of the pile has reached ings formed in the top N of the frame of the 75 a proper point below the maximunnwill aumachine. Said feedscrews are fitted to en tomatically start the elevating mechanismin gage in screw-nuts O on the plate P of the motion. This object I attain by the means blank-elevating device. Preferably said plate illustrated in the accompanying drawings, is provided with an auxiliary plate Q1, which which are herein referred to, and form part is supported thereon by springs R, which form 80 of this specification, and in which an elastic bed for theplate Q, on which the Figure 1 is a side elevation of my invenpile of blanks is carried. tion, showing the guard in position to allow S is a guard-lever that is pivoted, as at 1, the pawl to engage with the teeth of the and arranged at the side of the ratchet-wheel ratchet-wheel. Fig. Qisalike elevation show- C, so that when the curved portion of said 85 3 5 ing the guard in position to prevent an enguard-lever is thrown upwardly, as shown in gagement of said pawl with the teeth of the Fig. 2, a pin 2 in the pawl F will ride on said ratchet-wheel. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of guard-lever and prevent the pawl from en- Fig. 1; and Fig. 4t is a detached side elevagaging with the teeth of said ratchet-wheel, tion showing the opposite side from the one and thereby the rotative movements of said 93 shown in Fig. 1 of the ratchet-wheel, vibraratchet-wheel are interrupted until the curved tile arm and pawl, and guard. portion of the guard-lever is depressed by As represented in the drawings, A desiggravity or other means into position shown nates an intermittently-rotating shaft that is in Fig. 1, wherein the pawl F willbe free to fitted to revolve in the journal-b0xes B. Said again engage with the teeth of the ratchet- 9 5 shaft has a ratchet-wheel O and the bevelwheel. The pendent arm of the guard-lever gears D secured to it, and a vibratile arm E S is connected to a swinging arm T by a rod loosely fitted thereon by the side of said U, so that said arm and the guard-lever will ratchet-wheel, so that said arm will be left move synchronously in either direction. The free to swing freely on the shaft Without imswinging arm '1 is provided with an armatoo partingmotionto thelatter, excepting ashereture V, which is arranged in position to be inafter explained. At the outer end of the attracted by an electromagnet XV, having upon a pile of blanks placed on the blank-,

elevating mechanism. The fulcrum of said lever-should be fixed near the pile of blanks, so that a slight movement at the end which bears upon the pile of blanks will produce a greater movement at the outer end of said lever. A contact-point 3 in the outer end of the lever Y is connectedto one of the wires of the electro-magnet \V, and a corresponding contact-point 4 is fixed to the bracket Z, and has a wire 5 from the batter-y X connected to it, so that when the outer end of the lever Y is tilted downward by reason of the opposite end of said lever being raised when the pile of blanks has attained the required level the contact-points 3 and 4 will be carried into contact with each other to complete the electrical circuit.

My invention operates in the following manner: When the level of the pile of blanks is below the required height, as shown in Fig. 1, the outer end of the lever Y will be raised to separate the contact-points 3 and 4, and thereby the circuit through the electromagnet WV will be broken, so that the weight .of the curved portion of the guard-lever S will cause the armature V to fall back from its contact with the electro-magnet, and said curved portion of said guard-lever will be depressed to allow the pawl F to engage with the teeth of the ratchet-wheel O. The arm E, which is kept constantly vibrating by the crank I, imparts a step-by-step rotative movement to the shaft A during the time the pawl F engages in the teeth of the ratchet-Wheel O, and said shaft imparts a corresponding motion to the feed screws L, thereby causing the pile of blanks to be raised up until the upper side thereof has attained the required level. NVhen this is accomplished the outer end of the lever Y will be in position to bring the contact-points 3 and 4 into close contact and close the circuit through the electro-magnet XV. Thereupon the armature V Will be instantly drawn into contact with said magnet, and thereby the curved portion of the guard-lever S will be raised to prevent the pawl F from engaging with the teeth of theratchet-wheel C, so as to stop the rotations of the feed-screws L until the pile of blanks has been reduced in height surficiently to permit the inner end of the lever Y to fall and its outer end to rise sufficiently to separate the contact-points 3 and 4 from each other, and thereby break the circuit through the electro-magnet V, so as to restore the device to the condition it was in, as

herein set forth, at the time of beginning the above-described operation of my invention. WVhen the pile of blanks on the feeding mechanism has been exhausted, the feed-screws L should be rotated in a reversed direction by means of a hand-crank (not shown in the drawings) applied to the shaft A, and thereby the blank-elevating device will be lowered to a position to receive afresh supply of blanks. When preferred, a single feed-screw may be substituted for the pair shown in the drawings; but in such case suitable guides should be provided for the plate P, in order that the latter may be confined to a true line in its movement.

lVhile I have herein shown and described my invention as applied to a paper-feeding mechanism, it is applicable, without further invention, to any mechanism for feeding blanks or sheets of any other material.

lVhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is

1. In a feeding mechanism, the combina of a vertically-moving table for carrying blanks thereon, elevating-screws or equivalent means'for raising said table, and an electrically-actuated guard or shield for governing the mechanical connection and disconnection of said table-elevating mechanism, with a vibratile arm by which motion is imparted to said table-elevating mechanism, as and for the purpose herein specified.

2. In a feeding mechanism, the combination of an intermittently-rotating shaft that is geared to the feeding-screws and is provided with a ratchetqvheel, a vibratile arm provided with a pawl whichis fitted to engage with the teeth of said ratchet-wheel, an electrically-actuated guard or shield fitted to prevent said pawl from engaging with the teeth of said ratchet-wheel and connected to a swinging armature, an electro-magnet fitted to coact with said armature, a tilting lever having one end fitted to bear upon the pile of blanks held on the blank-elevating device and its opposite end provided with a contactpointwhich is connected with one pole of the electro-magnet, and a stationary contactpoint which is connected with the opposite pole of said magnet, said contact-points being moved to effect a separation or a junction of said contact-points by the variations in the height of the pile of blanks on the blank-elevating mechanism, as and for the purpose herein specified.

JAMES A. MONT ROSS.

\Vi tn esses:

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